Case Interview
Practice Session
Led by: Lauren Card
What is a case interview?
•
An interactive scenario-based problem-solving activity, usually in the
areas of strategy, market entry, profitability, or human capital
•
An open, two-way discussion that helps to assess how the candidate
approaches complex business situations
•
An integral part of the recruiting process, which allows companies to
evaluate candidates’ ability to analyze and articulate their
understanding of client situations and issues
What skills are evaluated?
•
Quantitative/analytical skills
•
Listening skills
•
Problem-solving ability
•
Business acumen
•
Communication skills
•
Interpersonal skills
•
Creativity/flexibility
•
Ability to think quickly under
pressure
What does the interview look like?
What are they looking for?
• Poise / communication
• Sit up straight • Keep eye contact • Maintain a professional presence •
Adapt to cues • Speak up
• Creativity / enthusiasm
• Have fun • Don‘t appear like this is the worst experience of your life • Show
your creative side • Don‘t be a robot
• Structured thinking
• Don‘t shy away from numbers • Have a structured approach to your
problem solving
Response Approach
Recommendations
DO
•
Greet interviewers with
enthusiasm and a firm
handshake
•
Listen carefully
•
Take notes
•
Be structured
•
Be flexible
•
Be forthcoming
•
Ask for clarifying answers
•
Watch for ‘cues’
•
Keep track of time
•
Reach “closure”
•
Most importantly - enjoy!
DON’T
•
Race through the case
•
Jump to conclusions
•
Force-fit frameworks
•
Fear numbers and graphs
•
Get lost in analysis
•
•
•
Focus on finding one “right”
solution
Panic
Evaluate your performance in the
middle of the case
Questions
Q: How can I best prepare for a case interview?
A: Practice, practice, practice. Practice as many case interviews as you can and
practice with many different people. Do not stick to your comfort zone.
Q: What should I do if I am stuck with a specific detail or not quite sure of an
effective way to tackle a situation?
A: Ask questions. Clarify with the interviewer whether you are headed in the right
direction. Have a structured approach, but remain flexible and shift that
approach based on the interviewer’s feedback.
Q: Is it okay to tell an interviewer “I’m not sure”? Should I focus on the aspects I
am familiar with and hope they overlook the areas I didn't address?
A: Yes. It is okay to say you are “not sure.” While it is good to focus on your
strengths, remember that the answer might be elsewhere. Try to address all the
relevant portions of the case.
Q: Is it acceptable to make assumptions while conducting the analysis?
A: Yes, as long as the assumptions are logical, relevant and clearly stated to the
interviewer.
Helpful Sources
• Case in Point
• Consulting Company Websites
• CGCC
• Strategy/Management Cases
• Victor Chen (www.caseinterview.com)
Case Practice
• 3 minutes to read case description
• 2 minutes for clarifying questions
Case Description
• A major U.S. financial services company has just
implemented a Client Relationship Management
(CRM) system. The goal: To give leadership a real
time view into the organization’s sales channel
• For years, sales teams have maintained client sales
information in separate excel spreadsheets. This
prevented leadership from having visibility and a
holistic view of sales opportunities, which meant
sending multiple requests to sales teams for the
latest and greatest information
• By the end of the fiscal year, all sales teams are
expected to migrate their sales data into this new
system and use it to manage their sales information
Case Description (cont.)
• PROMPT: You are the change management lead
for this project. How would you get everyone on the
system? Who are the various stakeholders? How
would you communicate to and engage these
stakeholders?
Case Discussion
•
•
•
•
Develop a plan
Use a framework if applicable
Include a hypothesis
Discuss conclusions/recommendations/follow-up
Q&A